Vehicle door handle assemblies are known to include a door latch release handle connected by a cable to the door latch mechanism that is triggered to release the door by operation of the handle. Vehicle doors also are known to include a lock mechanism to secure the door in a closed. Manually operated lock mechanisms include an activator lever or button for engaging and disengaging the lock mechanism.
Manually activated door handle mechanisms have taken a variety of different constructions. For safety reasons, smooth designs are preferred, without projecting components. Safety and functionality have driven designs toward smooth, sleek appearances in which both the latch handle and lock lever are inset in the door panel, often contained in a single housing or located adjacent each other in a portion of the door. Cables from each the latch handle and the lock lever interconnect the handle and lever to the respective mechanisms for releasing the door and for locking and unlocking the door. Moving the latch handle actuates the latch mechanism to unlatch the door. The latch handle returns to the non-actuating position when it is released. Lock mechanisms are known to operate with a lock lever that toggles between locked and unlocked positions.
It is known to use a pin or pins through the latch handle and lock lever to secure the handle and lever in the housing. The handle and lever each can be rotated about the pin during operation and use of the mechanisms. The pin or pins are inserted through apertures in the housing and handles and must be secured therein. The use of a fastener or retainer such as a compression cap on the pin ends effectively retains the pin in position but renders the assembly of the mechanism both complicated and time consuming.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,081 entitled “Inside Door Handle Assembly For Vehicles” proposes an assembly in which housing walls include projections and the latch handle and lock knob include through holes received on the projections. A wall of the knob defining one of the through holes is provided with a cutout portion so that a part of the wall around the hole is deformable. The cutout has a width less than the width of the projection received therein. Utilizing a cutout entrance into the aperture is not preferred in that the material is necessarily thin to allow adequate deflection, which can lead to fractures and failure. Deflection is localized in a small area, leading to possible material fatigue and failure. Further, the potential exists for the knob to become misaligned such that the projection partly re-enters the slot, potentially causing malfunction of the knob. Therefore, smooth, continuous apertures surrounding the projections are preferred.
It is desirable to provide a pin-less inside door handle assembly that is easy to assembly and secure in final assembly.